7-Day Samburu & Masai Mara Safari | Rare Wildlife & Big Five

Elephants, zebra, buffalo, warthog, antelope, and the reticulated giraffe – these are just some of the wildlife waiting to be discovered in this expansive park. Of course, we’ll be tracking for the larger predators as well like lion and cheetah. This is a big arid park, bisected by the refreshing waters of the Ewaso Nyiro River where the wildlife come to quench their thirst and we’ll head over there to observe them. We’ll also take side trips to the nearby and much greener Shaba and Buffalo Springs reserves to view the wildlife there. If you wish you can take an optional visit to the local Samburu tribe, closely related to the Maasai people. See their lifestyle and homes close-up and get to know these ancient and self-sufficient people. While at Samburu, you can take as many game drives as you desire but also relax . Just discuss with your driver/guide. Toward evening, we’ll retire at our lodge or tented camp for dinner and rest.

We’ll be up early for a final game drive through the park in case you missed any elephants or antelope. Now we’ll head south to the highland reaches of Aberdare National Park, a cool spot of waterfalls and mountain streams. Here you’ll stay in perhaps the most unique accommodation of the safari, and maybe anywhere – a treetop hotel – either The Ark or Tree Tops Lodge. From either hotel, you’ll get spectacular views of the park and the wildlife below coming to visit the waterholes and salt licks. Look for elephants, black rhino, buffalo, and antelope emerging from the forest. We will, of course, spend the night in our tree-top lodge.

After spending a night in the treetops, we’ll descend and continue on our Kenya safari. Hitting the trail, we’ll take the scenic drive to Lake Nakuru, stopping to view the impressive Thompson’s Falls, a spectacular plunge of cascading water. Nakuru is a small but very impressive reserve with its acacia woods, dramatic escarpments, and acacia forests. The wildlife and birdlife here are impressive – giraffe and white rhinos grazing by the lakeshore, lots of baboons, and flamingoes, pelicans, ostrich, storks, and eagles. Plus, we can visit a special sanctuary for black rhinos. Here you’ll find a vibrant palette of moving colors, textures, natural sights, and sounds. We’ll continue to nearby Lake Naivasha, to relax and enjoy dinner here.

We’ll awake to the morning light and birdsong at this freshwater lake. Ready for an early morning sailing safari? We’ll take an easy sail past hippos, exotic birds, and grazing antelope nearby on the shore. Neighboring Crescent Island Sanctuary beckons so let’s hop over for a quick guided walking safari past grazing zebra, impala, and giraffe. We’ll also spot lots of shorebirds on this peaceful, private peninsula. But now it’s time to safari to the most vibrant park in the region if not all of Africa – the Masai Mara Reserve. Its rolling hills and golden savannahs will greet us with an array of wildlife not seen elsewhere – great prides of lions, plus cheetahs, leopards, crocodiles, elephants, buffalo, giraffe, and rhinos. The Mara is a great collection of predators and grazers, filling the land over its plains, savannahs, and woods. We’ll take the first of many game drives upon our arrival. Don’t miss the late afternoon sunset as we head to our Mara safari lodge or tented camp for dinner.

We’ll be up early to take in the immense park in the soft morning light. Driving past the many iconic acacia trees you’ll feel as though you stepped into a familiar photo of this famous park. As at Samburu, you can take as many game drives as you please… but you can also carve out relaxing time , the choice is yours. If you should be at the park during the season of the Great Migration (July – October), you can’t help but observe the sea of wildebeests and zebras flowing into the park from the neighboring Serengeti. We’ll have lunch down at the Mara River, site of the great crossing, and watch the drama of nature’s wildlife in all its quest for survival. If you’d like to see this spectacle from above, we recommend an optional early morning hot air balloon safari. As the dawn’s light plays across the park, you’ll rise to view endless trains of wildlife stretching to the horizon – an unforgettable experience. Here’s another opportunity to meet the indigenous people of the area – we offer an optional visit with the local Maasai in a nearby village. Learn about their lifestyle and culture, and perhaps pick up some beaded souvenirs of their handiwork. As evening approaches, we’ll head back to our Mara accommodation for dinner and conversation about all we’ve seen this day.